A platform holds the money until the goods arrive, vets its sellers and settles disputes. Which is precisely why every scheme is built on one move: take the conversation and the payment outside the platform, where none of that exists.
Schemes against buyers
- Goods at half the market price. The first and most reliable sign of a fake.
- A request to prepay to a card. Recovering such transfers is close to impossible — payment methods compared.
- A link to a “payment page” in the conversation. It leads to a copy of a checkout form where you type your card details.
- A request to read out a code from a message “to confirm the reservation”. The code confirms a charge, not a reservation.
Schemes against sellers
These are less well known, because a seller is not paying and feels safe. The scheme is built on exactly that.
| What they say | What happens |
|---|---|
| “I have arranged delivery, collect the money via this link” | The link leads to a form where card details are entered — not to receive, but to charge |
| “Send me your card number and the code from the SMS” | To receive money you do not need a code at all: it is needed to charge your card |
| “I am the platform's courier, confirm the order” | Couriers do not contact you directly and do not ask for confirmations |
| “I have paid, here is the screenshot” | A screenshot takes a minute to make; check the credit in your bank, not in a picture |
| “Refund the difference, I sent too much” | The original transfer is reversed and your refund is not |
Rules that cover almost everything
This is how money is lost
- Conversation and payment in a messenger
- Following a link from a message
- Prepayment by transfer to a card
- Reading out a code from an SMS
This is how it is not
- All communication inside the platform
- Payment through its payment system
- Signing in to your bank only from your own app
- Checking the credit in the bank, not in a screenshot
If the money is already gone
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Call the bank
A dispute works when you paid by card and is limited by time. The sooner, the better the chance.
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Report it to the platform
Even if the deal moved outside it: the account gets blocked and the next person does not fall for it.
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Report it to the police
Keep the conversation, the listing and the recipient's details.
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Check your account
If you typed a password via a link, follow the leak procedure.